Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-01-22
LOOKING AT THE CLOCK.
People who Stop tn Glance into the
Watch Dealers Window.

Watch Dealers Window.
HOW WATCHES VARY AND TIE PATH THEIR owsnRs
HAVE IN THEM-THE TIME MACHINES" OF TO-DAY
CHEAP WATCHES THAT KEEP GOOD AVERAGE TINE
THE JEWELERS. TALK.
The big mercury balanced clock stood with its
back against the wall, chopping OF tho half
seconds with a long sweep OF Its pendulum, as It
looked side-wise out of the show window. A fat
man with short breath and a red face, stopping
for moment TO look at bulls-eye silver watch,
remarked that the clock had gained Just fifteen
minutes A young man with q great weight OF
watch chain withdrew a dazzling gold watch
from case OF channels skin, and declared, after
mental calculation. that the clock had lost Just
five seconds in twenty-four hours. A clustering
gentleman of the old school, with q long cane
which he planted heavily on the pavement at
every step, was disguised with the age Of 1nven-
ton, when he found, on comparing it with the
gold-faced chr0nometer, which had been present
from his father on his sixteenth birthday that
the clock was three OF an hour out Of the
way. The huge fob seal Mapped at his belt rs he
strobe Oh, happy in the possession OF the 'tOnly
reliable time piece" A trail female clerk had all
that the great clock had gained twenty minutes
on her little chatelaine during the night and she
quickened her steps before the awful thought
same ungraciOus advantage OF her during the
dark. Still the clock showed OF small
slices Of time With the broad sweep Of the pendu-
lum.
WINDING HB WATCH.
Meanwhile man stood on the corner winding
his watch. He leaned his back against the lamp
post and looked complacently at the clock while
he wound. He looked amused at the remarks Of
seemed to have all the time he wanted, so he con-
t1nued 70 wind his watch. An amusing smile
curled his upper lip at the confidence Of the old
man in his ancestral chrOnOmeter, and he laughed
outright at the span new watch of gttteIing gold.
The street cars passed one by the hands Of the
great clock moved slowly around, the old man and
the female clerk had both passed out of sight, but
Still he stood there winding his watch. Now and
then he would change hands, but he didn't stop
winding. "It'S been two hours since wound It
last and don't think it's lost second /" he re-
marked, as he shifted from one foot to the other
pqi DO Tsor III es wnp Eve
or two In my pocket as go along. You see, can't
finish IT at once. but give it wind every time
machine In his pocket and jumped aboard a
herdic.
WHAT THE JEwELER SAID.
'One half second in three months" said the Jew
eler, as he watched the great clock measuring on
time"
ELBOWS that?" asked THE STAR man.
"rhat's how much that clock varies, /" was the
reply. GAS dealer in time and an expert think
that's pretty well That clock don't waste much
time; only about four minutes in an ordinary life
time. This matter OF reckoning time is very in
teresting. Folks have got to making measures for
peck measures or scales. They put few wheels
and spring In a nickel case and it goes to work
measuring on time like a tailor with q yardstick.
watch used to be wonder; now it's machine.
The SO watch OF to-day keeps as good time as one
that would have cost 500 not many years ago.
You can get watch for So 50 that keeps good time
AS TO timekeeping qualities there is no difference
between the average expensive gold watch and the
nickel one for S. or the silver for $15 The works
are ali made by machinery, all CT alike, and are
better than those made by hand years ago. No
Watch Is 1nfalible The average good time piece
WILL vary few seconds in month.
YEARS OF LABOR.
"Sometimes," the jeweler went on, "after the
works OF watch have been made as perfect as
good machinery can make them, they are taken in
hand and tempered and worked on for years. In
this way they reach high state OF perfection, and
they are very valuable. Ordinary use does not
require such perfection, however, and this is not
done much. The difference in the prices OF watches
now depends most upon the value OF the case. You
Will lind exactly the same works in q silver watch
that would cost you SIS OF $50 that you would
In $3.50 gold one. Or course, il watch was to
be carried to the north pole for use in mathemati-
Cal calculations, the works would have to be
highly tempered The habit OF carrying cheap
watches Is getting very common. Folks who have
OLD gold watches find sometimes that they are not
as reliable as the little 8 'machine; SO they dis
card them and take to carrying the latter. Some
people carry nickel Watches through affecta-
with Waterbury watches, that it takes lifetime
to wind up, and several other factories are making
cheap watches which are as good timekeepers as
can found"